


A Rose is Nothing Without Her Thorns

by LuciferxDamien



Category: Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
Genre: Angst, Autumn, Bad Decisions, F/F, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-02 16:26:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21164621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuciferxDamien/pseuds/LuciferxDamien
Summary: Autumn, a time of transient beauty.





	A Rose is Nothing Without Her Thorns

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FairyQueen (etoilecourageuse)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/etoilecourageuse/gifts).

> Roses were a popular kanzashi and kimono motif in Taisho Era, which was a little before Memoirs of a Geisha was set, but a few roses might sneak in here and there~

The air grew crisp with each passing night, their kimono changing from ro natsumono to unlined hitoe. A month of colourful, large chrysanthemum and spider mums, with roses as a fresh offset. Soon, the year would turn and it would be time for the spring dances once more. 

Theirs was a busy life, never any time to rest, little time to reflect. One party to the next, one more dance to learn. 

It was easy to fall into the wrong kind of comfort… 

Hitoe kimono were too thin for these cold nights, but it was tradition, and traditions were to be adhered to, even if the odd silk rose snuck into one’s hair, a motif of an era passed. Change was slow in their world, only the flowers and seasons were ever fluctuating. 

“The autumn suits you...” Hatsumomo breathed out, her voice airy, her cheeks flushed. 

Mameha was much the same, smiling. “And why is that?” 

“So, mmm...” Hatsumomo stopped with a soft moan caught on her lips, considering her words carefully. She was learning well, picking her words and speaking softly. It was expected of a maiko. “Colourful,” she whispered with a smile, a look that held more meaning than Mameha knew how to decipher. 

But ah… Hatsumomo would not be a maiko for much longer. Mameha often forgot that, looking at her youthful face painted like a white rose, her shining hair. Hatsumomo was not so young, not anymore. No… She was a stunning young woman, well on her way to earning back her purchase price. 

Mameha smiled; she felt somewhat responsible for that. Gion was a difficult life, a never ending competition and rules and traditions. Rules and traditions that had forced many a girl out of Gion. Mameha was glad to have found someone she thought could be a kindred spirit… 

Of course, Hatsumomo herself had forced many a girl out of Gion… 

_Autumn…_

Hatsumomo laughed, soft, her cheeks, as soft as roses, still flushed from their intimacy. Mameha let herself forget many things about Hatsumomo on cold nights. She ought to have known better, but Mameha couldn’t escape her own loneliness in Gion, and Hatsumomo was a safe lover. 

Safer… 

Mameha breathed out, shaky and Hatsumomo laughed. “You are not so young…” It was said with fondness, but Mameha bristled. Geisha do not get younger, they only age, drifting from one season to the next. 

“Mmm… The loss of youth brings wisdom, never forget that, Hatsumomo…” It was a warning and Hatsumomo just laughed, in that way of hers. 

Mameha was lonely, she desired a companion, but perhaps she had fallen into bed with a snake, instead… 

_You are like the autumn…_

Mameha was a fool. 

_“You remind me of the autumn… Full of colour, just before withering winter…”_

Hatsumomo had been struck, in the Ichiriki teahouse. She thought herself clever and earned herself the dismay of all of Gion. Even still, she enjoyed popularity, and, perhaps, it was that that Mameha admired. Despite everything, she was still a strong woman, well on her way to earning her purchase price back, even before the age of twenty! 

Mameha smiled, pressing her lips to Hatsumomo’s. Those wicked lips, that flickering tongue and still, she felt warm and satisfied. As vile as that tongue could be, it brought Mameha such exquisite pleasure… 

She had to be careful, however, before the spring came. 

One cold night and all the colour and richness of autumn would fade and wither away until spring rose once more. 

And she, Mameha, was very much like the coming autumn, while Hatsumomo was in the prime of her own spring. 

Mameha had to step carefully, lest she find herself nothing more than a withered white rose, without her thorns.


End file.
